I have decided to blog about the daily activities with my latest foster dog. The goal is to detail how I acclimate a new dog into the household and how I start preparing her for her new home. Hopefully this information will be useful the next time you introduce a new dog into the household.You can start at the beginning of the journey by reviewing our past day activities at http://personablepets.blogspot.com/2010/06/brittneys-journey-foster-dogs-story.html
Day 3 - Brittney is doing great. She is much more confident in the house. Her tail is wagging and the cautious walk is almost gone. She still startles easily if she isn't expecting your touch so I spent quite a bit of time today just sitting on the floor petting her all over. She loves the attention and eventually ends up laying in my lap. A 50 lb lap dog is no problem considering I already have a 100 lb lap dog in the house!!
She met Theo today and all went well. She tried to initiate a play session but I think she was a little intimated by his size so she eventually decided just to follow him around the yard. I also allowed her some uncrated alone time in the house today. I needed to see if she became stressed or anxious in my absence. Good news - she didn't. Some dogs will start to chew, bark or scratch up windows if they are panicked at being left alone. She did none of this. She ate her dinner and then curled up for a nap in the cool house. She is a very quiet dog. I don't think I have heard her bark or make any vocalizations. This doesn't mean she won't find her voice as she becomes more comfortable in her environment but for now she is silent.
We continued our work around the food bowl. I was able to pet her while she was eating and if she sees me coming she will back off her food bowl to see if I have a special treat - which I usually dog. This is a great sign. It is a much safer environment when dogs don't feel the need to protect their resources around humans. Now just because she is comfortable with me around her food bowl doesn't mean she will be comfortable with strangers around her food bowl - but one step at a time.She was also allowed outside off leash today. She is still what is commonly referred to as a velcro dog. She stays very close to me when we are walking. She is not underfoot but usually stays within 6 to 8 foot of me. When she did start to wonder off I was able to verbally call her back, no issue. Of course her velcro tendency may fade as she becomes more confident in this environment, but for now, I am using it to my advantage by rewarding her every time she comes to or near me. I want her to think of me as home base. A place where good things happen. A great place to hang out!
On tap for tomorrow - the emergency come command and intro to my other dog Olive. Olive is a very excitable, in your face, let's run, play and wrestle all the time kind of dog so I want to be sure that Brittney is prepared for her energy. Better to delay the introduction and get it right the first time than try to recover from a rushed introduction that goes all wrong.
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Sharon Woodrum, CPDT-KA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer
Personable Pets Dog Training
Providing Dog Training Services for Overland Park and Louisburg, Kansas areas including: Stilwell, Lenexa, Olathe, Paola, Bucyrus, Leawood, Shawnee, Osawatomie and Spring Hill.
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